15 Finishing the Work
Acts 1: 1-11
I wonder if
we really understand that the Christian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus Christ to finish the work that He began…...
Well the first disciples got it…… They shook
the known world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus…..
They knew
that they were called to finish the work that Jesus began…. Listen to what Paul
said to the leaders from Ephesis….
Acts 20:24 NLT Neues Leben
24But my life is worth nothing to me
unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work
of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
24 Doch
mein Leben ist nichts wert, wenn ich es nicht nutze, um das zu tun, was der
Herr Jesus mir aufgetragen hat - das Werk, anderen die Botschaft von Gottes
Gnade zu bringen.
What is the
work that Paul and we have been given to do?.... the last part of v24…. the work of telling others the Good News
about the wonderful grace of God.
We have been
redeemed to Glorify God in our lives…… How do we do that?…… How does the
individual Christian become what God wants him to be?……. I don't really think
that most Christians understand their calling….. We are called to be
witnesses……. To be salt and light in this dark and dying world……. Big job…
We
desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us….. working
through us….. so that we can be effective witnesses for Him…… So that we can
finish the work that Jesus began…. When we are in the position of really seeing
the power of God in our lives….. When we really yield to the Spirit of God…..
Then we can begin to be the salt and light that Jesus has called us to be…. We are here to finish the work that Jesus
began…. We need to see the power of God at work in our lives….
As we study the book of Acts….. We will see
the birth of the church….. These same fearful believers that were hiding……. Have
now seen and touched the Risen Lord Jesus…… Jesus continues with them….. Fellowshipping
with them and teaching them…
I wonder if
we really understand that the Christian life is all about helping the Lord
Jesus Christ to finish the work that He began…... Well the first disciples got
it…… They shook the known world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus…..
They knew
that they were called to finish the work that Jesus began….
Turn with me
please to Acts 1…... v1…
Acts1: 1-11 NKJV
1 The former account I
made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the
day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented
Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them
during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4 And being assembled together with
them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the
Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John
truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him,
saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He
said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has
put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
9 Now when He had spoken these things,
while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their
sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of
Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken
up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1: 1-11 Schlachter 2000
1 Den ersten
Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und
zu lehren,
2 bis zu dem Tag,
da er [in den Himmel] aufgenommen wurde, nachdem er den Aposteln1, die er
erwählt hatte, durch den Heiligen Geist Befehl gegeben hatte.
3 Ihnen erwies er
sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen,
indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
4 Und als er mit
ihnen zusammen war, gebot er ihnen, nicht von Jerusalem zu weichen, sondern die
Verheißung des Vaters abzuwarten, die ihr [— so sprach er —] von mir vernommen
habt,
5 denn Johannes
hat mit Wasser getauft, ihr aber sollt mit Heiligem Geist getauft werden2 nicht
lange nach diesen Tagen.
6 Da fragten ihn
die, welche zusammengekommen waren, und sprachen: Herr, stellst du in dieser
Zeit für Israel die Königsherrschaft wieder her?
7 Er aber sprach
zu ihnen: Es ist nicht eure Sache, die Zeiten oder Zeitpunkte3 zu kennen, die
der Vater in seiner eigenen Vollmacht festgesetzt hat;
8 sondern ihr
werdet Kraft empfangen, wenn der Heilige Geist auf euch gekommen ist, und ihr
werdet meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem und in ganz Judäa und Samaria und bis an
das Ende der Erde!
9 Und als er dies
gesagt hatte, wurde er vor ihren Augen emporgehoben, und eine Wolke nahm ihn
auf von ihren Augen weg.
10 Und als sie
unverwandt zum Himmel blickten, während er dahinfuhr, siehe, da standen zwei
Männer in weißer Kleidung bei ihnen,
11 die sprachen:
Ihr Männer von Galiläa, was steht ihr hier und seht zum Himmel? Dieser Jesus,
der von euch weg in den Himmel aufgenommen worden ist, wird in derselben Weise
wiederkommen, wie ihr ihn habt in den Himmel auffahren sehen!
As
Christians we talk a lot about the finished work of Christ, and we should…… On
the cross when our Lord said, Tetellestai…. He said it is finished….. And He did finish
the work of redemption……. Salvation
is a finished work……… Es ist vollbracht….
But Jesus also
has unfinished work….. one of those things is here in v 1….
Acts 1:1 NKJV Schlachter 2000
1 The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
1 Den ersten
Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und
zu lehren,
Of all that Jesus Began to do and teach….. Jesus
did so much in His earthly ministry…..The rest of the Book of Acts tells part
of the story……. And as we talked last week…. The story is still being told today….
WE as believers are finishing the work that Jesus began….. And when it is
finished…… The LORD JESUS Christ returns….. We are in the process right now of
finishing the work which Jesus began…...
All through
the Book of Acts, we have evidence that the men of God understood this….. As we
read earlier In Acts chapter 20…. The Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem…..
And on the trip he had been told that he would be put in prison, and that he
would suffer pain…... He knew that he would never see these leaders again……
this side of heaven….
Acts 20:24 NLT Neues Leben
24 But my life is worth nothing to me
unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work
of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
24 Doch mein Leben ist nichts wert, wenn ich es nicht nutze, um das zu tun,
was der Herr Jesus mir aufgetragen hat - das Werk, anderen die Botschaft von
Gottes Gnade zu bringen.
Paul says,
"Look, I only have one thing that I'm concerned about…... My life doesn't
matter to me…... All I want to do is finish my part of the unfinished work of
Christ….
That's all I
want to do…... I'm not going to protect myself from trouble…… I´m going to
follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads me…… No matter what it costs….
Paul was
totally committed to his calling…. He was totally motivated to finish the work
that the Lord Jesus gave him to do….
We should all
have this sense of motivation…. Look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian
believers…. Eph 5…. 15….
Ephesians 5:15,16 NKJV Schlachter 2000
15 See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the
days are evil.
15 Seht nun
darauf, wie ihr mit Sorgfalt wandelt, nicht als Unweise, sondern als Weise; 16 und kauft die Zeit aus, denn die Tage sind böse.
The German is perfect here…. Buy it up, maximize the time that you
have on this earth….
We need to be faithful to fulfill our part of
the unfinished work of THE LORD JESUS….. I
realize I only have so much time….. And if I am to finish the work that Christ
gave me, I've got to maximize the time that I have….. That's the way Paul felt…..
Now let's go
back to Acts 1…..
Acts 1: 1-3 NKJV
1 The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which He was taken
up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles
whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself
alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during
forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Acts 1: 1-3 Schlachter 2000
1 Den ersten
Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und
zu lehren,
2 bis zu dem Tag,
da er [in den Himmel] aufgenommen wurde, nachdem er den Aposteln1, die er
erwählt hatte, durch den Heiligen Geist Befehl gegeben hatte.
3 Ihnen erwies er
sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen,
indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
Luke says, "I wrote earlier about
all that Jesus began."
Now he says, "I am writing a book, the Book of Acts, about all that Jesus
continued to do through His people." That's what the whole Book of Acts is
all about...... finishing the unfinished work of the LORD JESUS….. picking up where Jesus left off….. that's what
you and I are called to do……
In order for
us Join the Lord in His work….. we have
to have some tools….. These are the things that are needed for you and I to
finish the unfinished work of Christ….
Tools for finishing the work…
1
The Correct message…. The GOOD
NEWS…… Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2
Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3
The power of the Holy Spirit….
Let´s start
with the first one…
1
The Correct message…. The GOOD
NEWS…… Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
Up until the
day in which He ascended through the Holy Spirit, He continually gave
commandments to the apostles….. All through the time Jesus had with those men He taught and disciple them…..
This text is
talking about the time that Jesus spent with the disciples after the
resurrection..... Jesus continued to do what He had always done with them…. Jesus
spent 40 more days with them and during
that time…. He appeared to them and
confirmed His word…. continued to speak of His Kingdom…. and continued to give
them commandments…... And the reason He
did was so that we might have this wonderful record that they might preach the
proper message…….
The Word of God is the foundation of all
faithful ministry…..
One of the
great tragedies of the church is ignorance of the Word of God…... We ignore the
Word of God and it destroys our personal walk with the Lord Jesus and our
ability to minister to our own families and others…… Look in Hosiah 4: 6 ….
Hosea 4: 6 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
6 My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
6 Mein Volk geht
zugrunde aus Mangel an Erkenntnis; denn du hast die Erkenntnis verworfen, darum
will ich auch dich verwerfen, daß du nicht mehr mein Priester seist; und weil
du das Gesetz deines Gottes vergessen hast, will auch ich deine Kinder vergessen!
Listen
people….. God does not give bonus points for ignorance……. There are no bonus
points for not knowing……. The scripture is clear even if we don´t know….. we
are still without excuse….
The reason we
have so much difficulty finishing the unfinished work of Christ is because we
don't know what the message is….. We are substituting garbage for the true
message…. Today there are all kinds of messages…... God wants to make you
rich….. God wants to give you perfect wealth and perfect health…..
The Apostle
Paul knew what the message was, and he preached it and stayed with it…... In
Acts 17:1…..
Acts 17:1- 4 NKJV
1 Now when they had passed through
Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for
three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and
saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them
were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of
the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
Acts 17:1- 4 Schlachter 2000
1 Sie reisten
aber durch Amphipolis und Apollonia und kamen nach Thessalonich, wo eine
Synagoge der Juden war.
2 Paulus aber
ging nach seiner Gewohnheit zu ihnen hinein und redete an drei Sabbaten mit
ihnen aufgrund der Schriften,
3 indem er
erläuterte und darlegte, daß der Christus leiden und aus den Toten auferstehen
mußte, und [sprach:] Dieser Jesus, den ich euch verkündige, ist der Christus!
4 Und etliche von
ihnen wurden überzeugt und schlossen sich Paulus und Silas an, auch eine große
Menge der gottesfürchtigen Griechen sowie nicht wenige der vornehmsten Frauen.
this
Jesus whom I preach unto you is the Messiah, and some of them believed."
Now that is
the message...the message of the Kingdom...that
Jesus is the Messiah, that He died to die to pay the penalty of sin….. that He
rose from the dead….. Paul reasoned with them out of the Scriptures…...
In verse 10
of the same chapter, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and
Silas by night unto Berea, who coming there went to the synagogue of the Jews
again. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received
the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily. Whether
those things were so, therefore many of men believed." The message is
Jesus Christ, dead and risen again, and they searched the Scriptures........ that's
the message…… And our effectiveness in finishing the unfinished work of Christ
is directly related to our understanding of the Word of God…... We have to know
the scriptures for our own walk with the Lord…… We have to teach the scriptures to point others to Jesus…. He is the only source
of Mercy and forgiveness…… Jesus alone provides hope for a lost and dying
world…
To finish the
work that Jesus began, we have to know the message….. And that's why all
through His ministry, he poured that message out…… That message is recorded in
the gospels and commented on in the rest of the New Testament…… And the better
we know the gospels and the better we know the commentary on the gospels…..
which are the Epistles…. the better able we are to defend the truth, right?
That's why
the Bible says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God…. 2 Tim 2: 15…
2 Timothy 2: 15 NKJV
SChlachter 2000
15 Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.
15 Strebe eifrig
danach, dich Gott als bewährt zu erweisen, als einen Arbeiter, der sich nicht
zu schämen braucht, der das Wort der Wahrheit recht teilt.
Rightly
dividing the Word of truth….. We do not follow legends or traditions…. We must
live and teach the truth…. And there is only one truth…. Francis Schaeffer said
we need to teach “true truth”…. Peter says in 2 Peter 1: 16….
2 Peter 1: 16-21 NKJV
16 For we did not follow cunningly
devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the
Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice
which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word
confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this
first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for
prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1: 16-
21 Schlachter 2000
16 Denn wir sind
nicht klug ersonnenen Legenden gefolgt, als wir euch die Macht und Wiederkunft8
unseres Herrn Jesus Christus wissen ließen, sondern wir sind Augenzeugen seiner
herrlichen Majestät gewesen.
17 Denn er
empfing von Gott, dem Vater, Ehre und Herrlichkeit, als eine Stimme von der
hocherhabenen Herrlichkeit an ihn erging: »Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn, an dem
ich Wohlgefallen habe!«
18 Und diese
Stimme hörten wir vom Himmel her ergehen, als wir mit ihm auf dem heiligen Berg
waren.
19 Und so halten
wir nun fest an dem völlig gewissen10 prophetischen Wort11, und ihr tut gut
daran, darauf zu achten als auf ein Licht, das an einem dunklen Ort scheint,
bis der Tag anbricht und der Morgenstern aufgeht in euren Herzen.
20 Dabei sollt
ihr vor allem das erkennen, daß keine Weissagung der Schrift von eigenmächtiger
Deutung ist.12
21 Denn niemals
wurde eine Weissagung durch menschlichen Willen hervorgebracht, sondern vom
Heiligen Geist getrieben haben die heiligen Menschen Gottes geredet.
Look at the
end of verse 16…. "We were
eyewitnesses." Peter says…
"I'm giving you my testimony….
That´s good,
but even better…. but watch this...verse 19...
"We have also a more sure word of
prophecy."
A more sure
word than experience is the Word of the Scripture….. Experiences can deceive
us….. We need the Word of God….. It is certain…. We got to know the Word, or we
can't finish the work that Jesus began......
Sometimes you
get trapped in that experience-centered Christianity….. where all you've got to
say to anybody is all about your experience….. and there isn't any content
there….. I mean this is my argument in one area with the charismatic movement
as we see it today…... It's all experience…… Everybody's got an experience…..
but nobody knows anything about the Scripture….. That's an unfortunate blissful
ignorance of the Word of God…...
And then of
course there's also the danger of using a self centered approach in evangelism…...you're
really appealing to somebody's egoismus….
Selfishness….….. How would you like….. You need…. You deserve…. Just have
enough faith…. Just claim it….. speak it into your life….. These ideas about
faith and God´s plan for us is not Biblical….
That´s not
what the Bible teaches…. In 2 Timothy 3…
Paul wrote about his own suffering for the sake of others…. For the Gospel…. He
said that all who live Godly lives will suffer….
It's very
dangerous…... If we're going to finish the work that Jesus began….. we're going
to have to teach what Jesus taught….
Back to Acts
1….. v1….
Acts 1:1 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
1 The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
1 Den ersten
Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und
zu lehren,
The account
is All the things that Jesus began to do and teach…… Everything that Jesus taught He
also Did….. Jesus was not a hypocrite…… Sadly…. People often refuse to
listen to our message because the way we are living doesn´t match with what we
say… There is an saying in English…
Practice what you preach….. Jesus said
this too….
in Matthew
23...
In order to
continue and finish the work of Christ we need something more….
2
Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus …. Look at verse 3…
Acts 1:3 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
3 to whom He also presented Himself
alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during
forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
3 Ihnen erwies er
sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen,
indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
Now Jesus
knew it wasn't enough just to have information…... There had to be a personal encounter…. A very personal
experience with a Risen Lord Jesus….. And so He appeared to them over and over
again….. so that they might know that He was alive……
Listen
folks…… We cannot finish the unfinished
work of Christ unless it flows out of a vital reality of Christ in our lives,
unless we're seeing and feeling and knowing and fellowshipping and sharing with
Him…… You can't be a secondhand witness….. You can't give somebody else's
testimony…... You can't pass on Scripture that is irrelevant to you because
you've never personally met Jesus Christ…... You say, "Yeah, but I can't
see Him." Well, you don't need to see Him…..
Peter says,
in 1 Peter 1:8….
1 Peter 1: 8 NKJV Schlachter 2000
8 whom having not seen you love.
Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory
8 Ihn liebt ihr,
obgleich ihr ihn nicht gesehen habt; an ihn glaubt ihr, obgleich ihr ihn jetzt
nicht seht, und über ihn werdet ihr euch jubelnd freuen mit unaussprechlicher
und herrlicher Freude,
…. Though now
you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory….. We can experience the risen Lord Jesus because the Holy Spirit has
been sent…. To convict the World of
sin…. The Holy Spirit also shines the Truth of the Word of God in our hearts so
that we will repent and believe the Good News….. And that produces Joy in us…..
And hope for the world….
He makes
himself real by the indwelling Spirit….. And we have the record of the
infallible appearances. We have the record of His 500+ witnesses….. We have the
record of the empty tomb….. We have all
the evidence that He is alive… and the evidence is also here in our hearts…… because we know Him to be alive and active in
our own lives……
Because we
know the Lord Jesus we also have a
firsthand message….. I couldn't get so excited about Jesus Christ if I didn't
know that He was alive….. I couldn't get excited about Him if I didn't know
that He was in my life….
Back to Acts
1…. V4….
3
The power of the Holy Spirit….
Look at verse
4.....
Acts 1:4 NKJV Schlachter 2000
4 And being assembled together with
them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the
Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
4 Und als er mit
ihnen zusammen war, gebot er ihnen, nicht von Jerusalem zu weichen, sondern die
Verheißung des Vaters abzuwarten, die ihr [— so sprach er —] von mir vernommen
habt,
He says… "Wait
for the promise of the Father which you've heard from Me."
You say,
"Now what is the promise of the Father?" It's
the Holy Spirit……
The Holy Spirit
could not be sent until Jesus went to the Father….. Jesus said in John chapters
14 to 16 that "He would go and send the comforter, and He would have to be
there before the comforter could come…… The comforter was sent to the believers
as a reward from the Father for the faithful work of Christ." Don't go
anywhere until the Spirit comes……
Jesus says…… Just
hang on….. Do you remember what Jesus said when he was comforting them as they
finally began to understand that He was going away?…. John 14….v 18…
John 14: 18 NKJV Schlachter 2000
18 I will not leave you orphans; I
will come to you.
18 Ich lasse euch
nicht als Waisen zurück; ich komme zu euch.
Because Jesus
went to the Father……. He sent the Holy
Spirit to us….. In this wonderful sense…… Jesus has not left us….. He has come
to us… In this present age…. Every genuine Christian possesses the Holy
Spirit as soon as they are born again….. Back to Acts 1…v 5
Acts 1: 5- 8 NKJV
5 for John truly baptized with water,
but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You
at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not
for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth.”
Acts 1: 5- 8 Schlachter 2000
5 denn Johannes
hat mit Wasser getauft, ihr aber sollt mit Heiligem Geist getauft werden2 nicht
lange nach diesen Tagen.
6 Da fragten ihn
die, welche zusammengekommen waren, und sprachen: Herr, stellst du in dieser
Zeit für Israel die Königsherrschaft wieder her?
7 Er aber sprach
zu ihnen: Es ist nicht eure Sache, die Zeiten oder Zeitpunkte3 zu kennen, die
der Vater in seiner eigenen Vollmacht festgesetzt hat;
8 sondern ihr
werdet Kraft empfangen, wenn der Heilige Geist auf euch gekommen ist, und ihr
werdet meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem und in ganz Judäa und Samaria und bis an
das Ende der Erde!
verse 8......,
then you will receive Power after the Holy Spirit has come on you."
That's why I
want you to wait…... notice it says… You shall be baptized with the Holy
Spirit"...that's a classic use of the passive verb.... you shall be
baptized….. There's no effort involved……
The Spirit of God descends and comes as the Father sends Him…... And what
happens? We receive Power to be
witnesses for the LORD JESUS…..
Jesus is
saying to his disciples..."I want you to finish My work…… I'll give you
all the tools you need….
I'm going to put My Holy Spirit in you….. and
He'll do it through you……
The Holy
Spirit gives us the power to do the thing that God has given us to do.....
Jesus given us His Holy Spirit…... He
is living in us…. We are to be witnesses for Him….
look at verse
9….
Acts 1: 9- 11 NKJV
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while
they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you
stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into
heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1: 9- 11 Schlachter 2000
9 Und als er dies
gesagt hatte, wurde er vor ihren Augen emporgehoben, und eine Wolke nahm ihn
auf von ihren Augen weg.
10 Und als sie
unverwandt zum Himmel blickten, während er dahinfuhr, siehe, da standen zwei
Männer in weißer Kleidung bei ihnen,
11 die sprachen:
Ihr Männer von Galiläa, was steht ihr hier und seht zum Himmel? Dieser Jesus,
der von euch weg in den Himmel aufgenommen worden ist, wird in derselben Weise
wiederkommen, wie ihr ihn habt in den Himmel auffahren sehen!
Jesus is
coming again….. We have a job to do…..
Remember what
I said about Paul as we began today?...
Paul was
totally committed to his calling…. He was totally motivated to finish the work
that the Lord Jesus gave him to do….
We should all
have this sense of motivation…. Look again
at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers…. Eph 5…. 15….
Ephesians 5:15,16 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
15 See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the
days are evil.
15 Seht nun
darauf, wie ihr mit Sorgfalt wandelt, nicht als Unweise, sondern als Weise; 16
und kauft die Zeit aus, denn die Tage sind böse.
The
German is perfect here…. Buy it up, maximize the time that you have on this
earth….
We need to be faithful to fulfill our part of
the unfinished work of THE LORD JESUS….. I realize I only have so much time….. And if
we are going to finish the work that Christ gave us…. We must use the time
that we have….. That's the way Paul
felt….. Jesus is Coming back….. And
if we're going to do anything… we're going to need to do it now!
Jesus is
coming again…… And the fact that He's coming moves me because I don't know how
much time…..
You know, we
can finish the work that Jesus gives us……. His unfinished work....... We have
everything we need……. We have the tools….
Tools for finishing the work…
1
The Correct message…. The GOOD
NEWS……Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2
Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3
The power of the Holy Spirit….
Jesus is
coming again….. The message is still the same… Judgment is certain…. Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand… We
don't know when He's coming….
One last
scripture… Col 4… v….17.. Paul was always on message…. Get to work….. finish
the work….
Colossians 4:17 NKJV
Schlachter 2000
17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to
the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
17 Und sagt dem
Archippus: Habe acht auf den Dienst, den du im Herrn empfangen hast, damit du
ihn erfüllst!
Let´s finish
the work…. Let´s fulfill the mission of the Lord Jesus…. Remember verse 1 of
Acts 1…. All that Jesus began to do and teach…… Jesus himself has begun a good
work in each of us…. And He will fulfill it…. Phil 1…verse 6…
Dear
friends…. we have everything we need…… The only missing thing is the
commitment to use those things for His glory……
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